For the past decade and a half, General Motors has struggled to rehabilitate its flagship Cadillac brand. Once known as the “Standard of the World” and considered at a level near equal to the likes of the Rolls-Royce, Cadillac has been trying to find its place in the 21st century. While automotive enthusiasts would generally prefer to focus on cars like the ATS-V and CTS-V, arguably the most important model in the current Cadillac lineup is the new XT5 crossover.
In the years since the Cadillac renaissance began, the overall market has shifted away from cars to SUVs and crossovers. Seeing that trend most of Cadillac’s self-defined premium competitors from Germany and Japan now have full lineups utilities ranging from compacts like the Lexus NX to large SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz GLS. Cadillac has had to get by with only the XT5 (and its precursor, the SRX) and the big Escalade. It’s not that GM doesn’t have utilities of all shapes and sizes, but as it has tried to avoid excessive overlap among its four post-bankruptcy brands, Cadillac has been largely left out. Cadillac management recognizes this deficiency and has promised more utilities in the coming years, but for now, the XT5 is the heart of the market.
The XT5 is the third-generation of Cadillac’s crossover utility and the first to adopt the brand’s new nomenclature. Until the mid-2016 debut of the XT5, this midsizer was known as the SRX and it is clearly the next evolution of the model. Overall, the XT5 is essentially the same size as the SRX with all major exterior dimensions within an inch of the older model except for the wheelbase which has been extended by two inches. The overall design themes we’ve been seeing from Cadillac for some time continue here with the sharp creases of the SRX being softened slightly. Like the cars, the front vertical accent lighting strip now extends down to nearly the bottom corner of the front fascia.
The egg-crate grille of the SRX has been replaced by a slightly taller version with five slim horizontal bars and like other current Cadillacs the wreath has been discarded, leaving only the crest as a logo. The faux fender vents have been discarded and the formerly concave character lines on the flanks are now convex. Overall it’s an attractive update on the shape that doesn’t really break any new stylistic ground.
Inside, the somewhat cluttered approach of the SRX has also been cleaned up with a more horizontal theme. Most of the capacitive touch controls of the original Cadillac CUE infotainment system have been replaced with physical switches. Those that remain are the volume control below the central touchscreen that lets you swipe a finger across the surface to adjust sound levels, and the active parking assist controls to the left of the screen. The screen itself is clear and visible in all light conditions and the interface is responsive. Like other new GM vehicles, it has support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The multi-way power front seats include a feature missing in most cars, an adjustable thigh support which is much appreciated by those of us with a longer hip to knee distance. If I had any complaint about the cabin of the Platinum trim I drove, it’s the plethora of materials used. In addition to leather, aluminum and piano-black plastic, there was also micro-suede and some bits of faux carbon fiber. Perhaps a bit more restraint on the material choices is called for. Functionally, my biggest complaint as with many new vehicles is the electronic shifter. Arbitrary shift patterns that don’t really add any functional benefit are not helpful. I understand that using an electronic switch frees up packaging space and complexity, but the traditional PRNDL pattern worked surprisingly well for decades. Just emulate that and be done with it. The Cadillac is still better than the Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid that requires a double tap through neutral to get to either D or R from park, but frankly the shifter is not the place for experimentation.
Cadillac doesn’t make any pretense to the XT5 being a three-row utility so there is plenty of room in the second row. Like other mid and compact GM utilities, the XT5’s second row slides back and forth to adjust the balance between passenger and cargo volume. For two couples or a family of five, there is plenty of room to keep everyone comfy and bring all their stuff along for a road trip. As my wife and I prepare for a move, I folded the rear seats and was able to fit an old six-foot toddler bed in the back for a trip to a donation center.
When the last SRX debuted in 2009, it was offered with two V6 engine choices, a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter that was low on torque and the laggy 2.8-liter turbo originally developed by Saab. Ultimately both were replaced by the naturally aspirated 3.6 which also proved to be more efficient than the smaller alterantives. This time around the North American-market XT5 retains the 3.6 which got some significant upgrades last year along with a new 8-speed automatic transmission for the higher-end models. In addition to the Spring Hill, Tenn. assembly plant, the XT5 is also being produced in China for that market where the base engine is GM’s surprisingly stout 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo-four-cylinder with 258-horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque.
The V6 and GM’s latest advanced twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system are standard in the top Platinum trim I drove. Among the many changes to the V6 are the addition of GM’s active fuel management cylinder deactivation technology that switches the engine to four-cylinder operation during light load conditions. Were it not for the indicator in the instrument cluster, you’d never actually know when the engine is switching modes; it’s completely seamless. Similarly seamless is the auto stop-start system that shuts the engine down completely when the vehicle comes to a stop. As soon as you lift off the brake pedal, the engine fires up and is ready to go. Doing drag racing starts will probably beat the engine restart, but in any normal city driving, you’ll never notice it firing up.
While the XT5 retained the basic dimensions of the SRX, like all other recent GM redesigns, it has gone on a serious diet. Front wheel drive variants are nearly 300-pounds lighter than before while AWD models save about 200-pounds. In combination with the increased power output of the V6, the XT5 has more than ample acceleration to handle all normal driving conditions. While it won’t be challenging the AMGs and Ms from Germany, the core of the audience for this type of vehicle won’t having anything notable to complain about from a performance standpoint.
Even on the 20-inch alloy wheels that come standard on the XT5 Platinum, the combination of the new five-link rear suspension and the real-time adjustable damping provides controlled ride quality without any notable thumping from Michigan roads. From the driver’s seat, the A-pillars are relatively slim when looking ahead but wide in the longitudinal direction. That means you need to take extra care and move your head to look around to the right before making left turns.
Even with the big wheels and AWD, the XT5 is surprisingly thrifty with fuel. While Cadillac isn’t yet offering any sort of hybrid option on the XT5, it will likely appear during the current model’s lifecycle in order to keep up with CAFE regulations. The example I drove averaged 22 mpg even in some very cold weather, better than the 19 mpg I achieved earlier this year in a Lincoln MKX but well short of the 27 mpg returned by the Lexus RX450h.
The 2017 Cadillac XT5 with front wheel drive starts at $39,995 while the loaded Platinum AWD edition I drove bumped the sticker all the way up to $68,225. The XT5 is a solid entry in the middle of the premium crossover segment, but if Cadillac is really going to make serious inroads in the premium market, it’s going to need some high-riding siblings that are both smaller and larger than the XT5 as well as more powertrain options. As good as Cadillac’s cars are today, they simply aren’t enough in a utility-mad world.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2017/01/02/cadillac-needs-a-family-of-suvs-like-the-2017-xt5-to-make-a-dent-in-the-premium-market/
2017-01-02T13:44:00+00:00